Quarantine Chronicles: A Classic Affair
My relationship with the Martini is a new love affair. It was just a libation I wasn’t interested in, no matter how good Bond looked drinking one. I am also not a fan of gin. Gin is my kryptonite. So as much as I wanted to put on my kitten heeled slippers and silk robe and sip the night away, I preferred to put on my stilettos and slip dress and drink Cosmos instead. Forgive me. I was young and naive.
I drank my first Martini in New York. It was 2008 at Clinton St. Baking Co., they had the best burgers, and I saw that there was a Lavender Martini available for consumption. Not a classic martini by any means, but it created a pathway that would lead up to evenings with the ladies, leaning on rich Mahogany bars and savoring every single vodka soaked olive with pure delight. I like them filthy and with Vodka, sometimes with a twist and most times with three olives. There is something sophisticated about drinking a martini, sounds ridiculous, but when I’m sipping on a martini I’m transported to me in the 1920s, boa and fringe intact. There’s no other drink besides a Manhattan and a French 75 that makes me swirl in nostalgia this way.
It has made rank in my top five libations of all time. I prefer a lavender one simply because I love the taste and smell of the herb. So to celebrate National Martini Day, here’s a great recipe for an old favorite. Whether it’s shaken or stirred, dry or dirty, there is no denying the martini has an established place in our American cocktail history.
Lavender Martini Recipe
From Food & Wine
Serves : makes 1 drink
Ingredients
Ice
1 1/2 ounces vodka, you can add vanilla vodka for a sweeter taste
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/4 ounce Lavender Syrup
1 fresh lavender sprig
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the vodka, lemon juice and Lavender Syrup and shake well. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with the lavender sprig. BOOM! Refreshingly delicious!